| Page 2's preseason MLB power rankings
We know it's early. We know there are people who think it's too early to rank the teams about to begin the 2008 Major League Baseball season. One hundred and sixty-two games left to be played, they say. Everything still up for grabs, they insist. But these are the same people who say B12 sounds like a plausible explanation, and LiLo's nudey New York Mag shoot looks like the beginning of a real turnaround. These people are innocents. We know better. .
Carlson Hotels Worldwide Adds Six Properties to Its Global Portfolio ...
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Carlson Hotels Worldwide today announced the addition of six locations to its global portfolio during January and early February of 2008. The new hotels include three Radisson properties and two Country Inn & Suites By Carlson(sm) hotels in the United States; and one Park Inn(R) hotel in the United Kingdom. Carlson's worldwide portfolio now totals 972 hotels with 147,396 rooms in 70 countries. Carlson hotel brands also include Regent Hotels & Resorts and Park Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts. "The momentum of growth for our brands is continuing at a strong pace in 2008," said Jay Witzel, president and CEO of Carlson Hotels Worldwide. "In addition to the six hotels we've added, we have more than 270 properties under various phases of development in major travel destinations worldwide.
American Idol Buzz
Right now you are the one to beat. There are 19 very miserable contestants." A plus Permalink | Comments (119) | Post your comment | 2/26: Fan names. What's the next Soul Patrol? By Rodney Ho | Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 12:16 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The two most famous, rabid fan bases in "Idol" history were the Claymates for you know who and Soul Patrol for Taylor Hicks. And sadly, there were even a few Fanjayas for that dude from last year we'd all like to forget. I'm going to freely steal a topic from www.idolator.com and ask if any of this year's contestants will end up with anything quite so memorable? Danny Archuleta could certainly have that type of following. Idolator said some are actually calling themselves Danny's Fanny.
Fire displaces 4, causes $60,000 in damage to house
A fire at a Northwest Roanoke home displaced four people Sunday, according to Roanoke Fire-EMS Department spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury. Fire crews were called to the 500 block of Chestnut Avenue about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. They found heavy smoke and flames coming from the two-story structure. Bradbury said that the fire started in a second-floor bedroom. Crews quickly extinguished the blaze, which was contained to the upstairs, she said. The fire was under control by 1:50 a.m. The first floor sustained water damage, Bradbury said. The fire has been ruled accidental and was caused by a lighter, she said. Damage is estimated at $60,000, Bradbury said. The four people who were displaced are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
SportsBiz: Spring training now a big business
VERO BEACH, Fla. - On a February morning, where the sky and the “Welcome to Dodgertown" sign are both etched in blue, more than 100 fans congregate behind a rope off Vin Scully Way. Their eyes stare at the wide hill, where five pitchers hurl balls at fully equipped catchers, over and over again. Nearby, other pitchers and catchers lie on their bellies and stretch on grass as finely cut as a putting green. The languid atmosphere belies the fact that this time next year, the Los Angeles Dodgers — who have trained at Vero Beach since 1948, the year after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier — will get in shape at a new facility costing more than $80 million in Glendale, Ariz., one they'll share with the Chicago White Sox. Once a six-week haven where little thought was given to maximizing revenue, spring training, more and more, is becoming a big business.
Peach Buzz
A rooftop patio for 75 patrons, complete with a polished granite bar, decorative planter boxes and one killer view of the massive Buckhead retail renovation currently under way. McGill says the pub's menu faves like corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips and famous boxtys are staying put as are those popular early AM televised soccer and rugby matches that are heavily attended by British ex pats and their American friends. Alas, the inconvenient hour of the game telecasts here (the matches are played in the PM across the pond) is something McGill says won't change either, Quipped McGill: "The vagaries of time travel forces us to show them at that hour here." If city permits are issued in a timely fashion, the new Fado should be open in time for St.
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